These instructions can be used for any size of drawstring pouch. Try this technique with quilting cotton and twill tape for a versatile pouch to keep sewing or knitting supplies. For that pouch, cut out 8”x10” rectangles of fabric and box the corners with a smaller measurement like 2”. The possibilities are endless!

Step 1: Cut your velvet

Leaving the fabric folded selvedge to selvedge, with the fold on the bottom, cut a 25”x WOF (width of fabric) piece.

When working with velvet, don’t cut the normal way. To keep your fabric on grain, snip at your desired measurement with a pair of sharp scissors, then rip it the rest of the way.

Step 2: Sew the sides

With right sides together and the fold at the bottom, sew up both sides with a 5/8” seam allowance, stopping 4” from the selvedge edge on each side.

Step 3: Iron seam allowances

On the wrong side, with the 4” of velvet we did not sew, fold over the edges to the wrong side so that they match the seam allowances you have already sewn.

Step 4: Make drawstring channel

With wrong sides still facing you, turn down the selvedge edge about ½” so that the selvedge is turned to the wrong side.

Now turn that down again.

Fold it so that the original raw edge matches with where we stopped sewing when the side seams were stitched.

Sew all the way around, ¼ from the bottom folded edge with a 3.5mm stitch length.

Step 5: Box the corners

At both bottom corners, we will box them by pinching each side of the fabric and easing them so that the side seam is now in the center, like so. Make sure the back is also flat.

Draw a line 4” from the corner, and sew down this, backstitching at the edges. Cut this excess off afterwards.

Repeat for the other corner.

Step 6: Add the drawstring

Cut your cord in half, taping up the ends or treating with fray-check to prevent fraying.

Feed the cut ends of ONE piece of cord on one side of the bag, drawing out the other side. Tie together ends of the cord to finish.

Repeat on the other side, so that each end has a knotted loop. Each cord has to go around the whole top so that it “draws” properly.

Now you have a lovely velvet bag that would make Mr. and Mrs. Claus proud!